The Decision

I'm getting a Tobacco Saddleback Leather Thin Briefcase (medium).

First off, I am not affiliated in anyway with Saddleback.  And this will be a long-term review.  I've seen too many reviews of the bag where they spend a day to a month or so with it and that's it.  And I think these reviews aren't really properly reviewing the bag since these bags are touted for their durability, 100yr warranty, I'm looking at you.  So I'll write a quick blurb about it every month and throw in some pics every now and then. 

So how did I decide to get a Saddleback bag?  Well I was looking for a briefcase for work, something more than a bookbag.  My daily bag was a black Patagonia mini mass- great for carrying the daily stuff, but with my job this year, I needed something to carry files and etc.  The mini mass wasn't cutting it.  Initially I was looking at Prada and other kinds of high-end brands, looked at Tumi for a brief period.  God, they're expensive for what they are… some of them were pushing $500 and no leather.   I almost pulled the trigger on a $850 Bric's briefcase on sale for $375 at Barney's.  I was all over the place.  So why isn't this a review of a Prada Saffiano Leather Briefcase or some other flash briefcase?  A couple of reasons- $1600 is a bit steep.  And I would be torn if it got a scratch or be afraid to go out with it if it were raining.  Knowing me, I'd probably carry a waterproof bag to go with the Prada.  Ridiculous.  Also I meet with people from all kinds of socioeconomic backgrounds.  From high-income professionals to people on welfare, and I feel that a Prada briefcase would give off a bit of the flash, f-you image to those not as fortunate.  I wanted to look professional, but not offensive.  

I liked the fact that the Saddlebacks would look better with age and wear, I didn't have to worry about babying it.  But I absolutely hate their classic briefcase design.  So much so, that I swore off the entire brand.  Then I took a second look the next day and looked through their product line.  The tobacco thin briefcase (medium) was beginning to call out to me.  Another advantage was that it was nice looking but didn't have that flash image like a Prada or Ferragamo.  A search on the internet and reading some reviews brought up some concerns- a period where the quality wasn't "let's go rip off the testicles at that angry bull with my bare hands" tough, the hefty weight, and some reviewers complaining of items that fall out of the inside pockets when not upright- a concern since I planned to stash my cell phone there.  But for the most part they were positive reviews so here I am.

If you were to go to Amazon and buy this now, it would cost $440, which includes shipping.  I paid $23.50.  WTF?  Yup.  Not a typo.  I had just linked my AMEX card to Amazon and lo and behold I had enough points where after it was all said and done was just $23.50, pretty much the cost of shipping.  Ordering through Amazon is exactly like ordering through Saddleback, or at least it feels like that.  Saddleback e-mailed me saying that they had received the order the next day.  And a day after that Saddleback emailed me that they had shipped it and gave me a UPS tracking number.

So I'll be using it 5 days out of the week for work.  I drive to work, so it will get less of the beating as if I walked or took public transportation.  I guess the most adventurous aspect of my commute is that sometimes it can rain a lot.  Oh, and the winters are nasty and we get lots of snow.  And the parking lot at certain offices can be a bit far from the office entrance… yeah, so let's see if a Saddleback can handle that!  So no swashbuckling tales of the Ukranian mob boss, the fountain of youth, and a alligator high on Peruvian coke while in Cabo. 

UPS promises that this Friday I'll have the Saddleback bag in my possession.  Can't wait.

And here's the website... it's a bit over the top.  You have been warned.
http://www.saddlebackleather.com/